How to Get Free Images From Google

Cue the Law and Order music...

Dear Ashley,

How do you decide what images to use for your graphic design projects? Do you pay for every image?

Sarah L.

Denver, Colorado

Sarah, this is an excellent question on my process of graphic design! I first identify the message that is to be accomplished for the project. From there, I starting building the pieces for the graphic design puzzle. Visuals are a major component to the tone of the piece and must be selected with purpose. There are a ton of websites that offer free stock photos for your projects but some business owners may not be aware that they are breaking the law if they simply grab a photo from Google Images. This article should clear up any confusion when it comes to the legality of posting images online and a quick tip to make sure you are on the up and up.

Google Images is one of the best free resources for getting images for your graphic design projects. The problem most people run into is the legality of posting the photos for personal or business use.

This is where the my handy dandy Google Images trick comes in. Go to https://www.google.com/imghp and search for your desired image. For our example we are searching for the keywords, "how to."

This is the default result for the image query.

It's so tempting to grab one of these images but it's not worth the legal hassle

This is where most people grab an image and post it without even thinking that they are stealing!

THIS IS WRONG PEOPLE.

Luckily, there is a quick and easy solution. Go to tools, usage rights and select labeled for noncommercial use.

Notice that the image results are completely different. These are images that are not only legal for you to use but also if your little graphic heart desires, you can modify the images for your project.

Fresh and lawyer approved Google Images!

Now you can scroll through the new batch of images and select one for your project. These won't be the cream of the crop as far as quality but if you search far enough you should find what you are looking for.